A Stroll in an Apple Orchard: Bagging Cream of the Crop MLM Recruits

Would you rather have one ripe grape or a rotten plum? A working radio or a broken television? One delicious bite of a juicy sirloin steak or spoiled filet mignon? The answer is pretty obvious: you’d probably rather have a small amount of something that is effective and fruitful rather than a lot of useless old junk. One savory bite is better than an inedible spread. It’s the same old adage every time: quality over quantity.

The same goes for the MLM industry. When recruiting, it’s important to be able to sort people according to their potential, and if you’re not excited about their potential and they don’t seem to share your passion, you could end up with a heap of junk. Instead of building a towering junkyard, work on being able to separate the great from the good and the good from the bad, and build your business on these quality recruits. One quality prospect is better than a handful of bad ones.

The Keen Eye of the Apple Picker

You may have heard this metaphor before: recruits for network marketing can be sorted in the same way an apple picker would sort apples. The picker wants to make sure the fruit is ripe and ready to go before plucking it from the tree. The red apples are the ones that are ready to go and will be thoroughly enjoyed. The smaller green ones are not fully grown yet and still need time. The rotten apples are the ones that have fallen off the tree to the ground below and are completely inedible.

Red, Green, Rotten

In network marketing, quality prospects are often called “red apples” because they are ready to be recruited and are bursting with potential. How do you know if you have a red apple? You want your recruit to share the same amount of passion that you do; you want them to be highly motivated to succeed and willing to put in the time and effort to do so. They should be excited about starting their own business and willing to take the time to learn the tricks of the trade. Red apples are people that are aware that MLM takes a lot of effort, and instead of letting this deter them, they confront the challenge head on. They keep a positive outlook and are able to visualize success in realistic terms.

“Green apples” refer to those that have a lot of potential but may not be ready quite yet. These are the prospects that generally have a lot of questions about the MLM industry and may be a bit skeptical of your efforts. Be prepared to answer their questions in an honest and thoughtful manner, but don’t be pushy. If you continue a successful communication routine with potential prospects, perhaps through an email campaign or social media marketing, they’ll seek you out when they’re ready if they’re truly interested. Keep in contact with the green apples and you can pluck them when they’ve matured.

“Rotten apples” should be left on the ground where they are. Don’t waste your time going after the rotten ones, because you could be spending it on recruits that will generate business and propagate growth. How do you know if you have a rotten apple? Typically, if someone is more interested in believing the myth that money can be made instantly with little effort, they aren’t going to put in the time and energy that MLM requires and you’ll end up with a dud. These people are also more likely to start the rumors that MLM is a scam, because they blame the industry and not themselves for quitting.

Rotten apples also refers to negative people. These people are the ones you encounter who don’t have encouraging or positive things to say, and use their negative mindsets to try to deter you from accomplishing your goals nad achieving success. These aren’t just the curious skeptics; these people purposefully use pessimistic discourse and are generally more interested in keeping you down than learning about your mission. Red apples are also referred to as “dream stealers”. You’re likely to come across the most dream stealers in your first 60-90 days of business, so it’s important to keep a positive mindset and remain focused on your goals when you’re just getting started.

Quality Just Tastes Better

Recruiting for network marketing is all about finding quality prospects and weeding out the bad ones. Manage your time effectively by learning which is which, and move on down the line when you’re confronted with the bad apples. When building your downline, ask yourself these questions: Is this person excited and passionate? Is this person willing to put in the time and effort to grow a business, or will they give up after a short time? Does this person have realistic goals and pragmatic ideas for how to succeed, or do they have impractical and unreasonable expectations?

When recruiting for network marketing, always remember that quality comes first. It’s tempting to want to recruit everyone who shows even the slightest interest immediately, but remember to only recruit those that are genuinely ready and don’t pressure those who aren’t, and don’t let anyone make you feel like you should give up on your dreams. Give it time, and your orchard will blossom.

J. Audrey Hoy is the CatalystMLM team’s resident wordsmith. With a master’s of fine arts degree from New York University, J. Audrey has served as an Adjunct Instructor of Creative Writing at NYU and she currently works as the Content Editor and contributor at CatalystMLM. Originally hailing from the Chicagoland area, J. Audrey has previously resided in Iowa City, Brooklyn and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont. She spends her free time reading novels, writing, exploring the Burlington area and enjoying the outdoors.